The Ghost Writer is a new thriller starring Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Kim Cattrall and Timothy Hutton about a ghost writer who gets caught up in a world of political intrigue, directed by Roman Polanski. It was adapted from a book by the writer and director.
My friend, and fellow writer who I saw the film with said afterward, “I was so engrossed, I didn’t notice the structure.”
A filmmaker’s dream come true!
In my writing system, the goal is to make the structure organic so that the story feels inevitable.
The most impressive display of mastery for me were the three or four moments of comedy where the audience actually laughed. Instead of breaking the tension in this taut thriller the laughter allowed a moment of relief — and then wound the story even tighter because of the contrast between fear and laughter.
The audience applauded at the end, myself included. Bravo!
